From summer internships and museum visits to language courses and lab work, local students have the chance to explore all Yale has to offer.
Yale works closely with local public school teachers, administrators, students, and parents to design and develop programs that will positively impact them. Through visionary scholarship opportunities, Yale continues to help strengthen the local community by promoting college access and furthering the development of the local workforce.
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By the Numbers
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$5 million
Donation to New Haven Promise program for college scholarships
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300+
Annual programs for local youth
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1,000+
Yale Pathways Scholars now in college
Yale Pathways
Explore. Discover. Grow.
Yale Pathways is the university’s coordinated K-12 outreach infrastructure. Pathways connects local students to the incredible resources that scholars at Yale have to offer through free, year-round events.
At Pathways, we believe STEM, arts, and humanities are fundamental parts of a holistic education. Dive into biology, physics, and engineering with Yale Pathways to Science, or train in photography, theatre, and museum studies in Yale Pathways to Arts & Humanities.
Yale’s programs showed me what my future could hold. Through Pathways, I was able to meet people who looked like me who are working and succeeding in the fields I’m passionate about.
Ayana, former Yale Pathways student
New Haven Promise
Yale invests $5M each year for students futures.
As a founding funder of New Haven Promise, Yale provides $5 million per year to support New Haven students’ college education. Since its launch, Promise has awarded scholarships to more than 2,800 students. Yale also offers paid summer internships for Promise Scholars. With 90% students of color and 70% first-gen college students, Promise is breaking barriers—and by 2030, more than 2,000 alumni are expected to return and help strengthen New Haven. In 2022, the university announced the Pennington fellowship, which extends the scholarship to New Haven students who attend HBCUs.
I never thought college in America could be a reality. New Haven Promise gave me hope again. Now, I’m ready to make an impact on the city that helped raise me.
Jordy, a member of the first class of New Haven Promise Scholars
Museums & Libraries Open to All
Yale’s museums, libraries, and archives are treasures—free and open to the public. Explore dinosaur fossils at the Peabody, world-class art at the Yale University Art Gallery and the Center for British Art, or rare manuscripts at the iconic Beinecke Library. Students and visitors alike can study brains at the Cushing Center, discover music scores at the Gilmore Library, or dive into drama and design at the Haas Arts Library. With family programs, rotating exhibitions, and endless opportunities to explore, Yale’s collections make knowledge and culture come alive for the entire community.
Partnering for Student Success
Yale students supporting New Haven classrooms every day
Yale partners with New Haven Public Schools to strengthen learning and support educators. Each year, Yale students serve as tutors, mentors, and classroom assistants, helping meet schools’ unique needs. Paid internships place students in NHPS central offices, supporting districtwide initiatives. Many Yale student groups also lead after-school programs, coding workshops, science demos, mentorship, and college prep—building stronger classrooms and brighter futures together.
Summer at Yale
Free on campus programs for young people.
Each year, Yale welcomes hundreds of New Haven public school students to campus for free summer programs that spark curiosity and build confidence. Students can live on campus to experience college life, work side by side with scientists in Yale labs, take Yale College courses for credit, or explore new interests through arts and academic programs. Whether in the lab, classroom, or residence hall, local students discover what’s possible for their future at Yale each summer.
Yale Pathways Summer Scholars Program 2025
Community Voices: George Marrero-Rosario
George Marrero-Rosario has always possessed a curious mind. When he was young, his parents would return home to find him sprawled on the floor with maps, dinosaurs, and books about everything from Egypt to the solar system. In junior high school, one of his teachers took notice, recommending him for Yale’s Pathways to Science program. “That one interaction changed my life completely,” he says. “As a kid, I was always interested in science, but I didn’t know how to direct my passions.”
Additional Programming
Yale sponsors over 300 programs for New Haven youth each year, from film festivals and journalism projects to coding lessons and chemistry.